from 18 to 17

Oho! Don't think I didn't notice the drop from 18 "followers" to 17!

I can't, for the life of me, figure out who that 18th person was, but I guess I'll never know now.

You'll be back, whoever you are! THEY ALWAYS COME BACK TO THE KEVIN!!

In other news: interesting VP debate this evening. Palin did surprisingly well, though I thought she had a tendency to veer off-track in her answers. I thought Biden did fine, so I was surprised to hear him get a drubbing from the NBC commentators (Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, and some other dude) immediately after the debate. Biden struck me as more poised (and damn-- that wolfish smile!), while Palin-- whose breathing and blinking became a bit uncomfortable to hear and watch-- struck me as quick on her feet, but somewhat breathless, especially on HDTV. It's a good thing no one emitted a spit fleck or snot bubble. HDTV spares no one.

In terms of actual substance, I thought Biden had better command of facts and figures than Palin, but Palin scored some right-wing points in the foreign policy arena and, of course, with energy policy. Things got confusing, though, when both candidates found themselves largely in agreement in two or three areas (friendship with Israel, the need to focus on the middle class, and an issue that now escapes me). Both seemed better about reining in their temper than I would have been in such a situation.

The fallout from the pundits seems to be that this debate will do little to affect poll numbers and the eventual outcome. Were I a betting man, I'd call this election for Obama, if for no other reason than that there's bound to be a backlash against eight years of GOP domination of the executive branch. The financial crisis isn't helping.

In a few minutes, I'll be off to my tent for a 40-degree night. Chilly.


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